The Caribbean monk seal or West Indian monk seal (Monachus tropicalis) is an extinct species of seal. It is the only seal ever known to be native to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The last verified recorded sighting occurred in 1952 at Serranilla Bank.[1] On June 6, 2008, after five years of futile efforts to find or confirm sightings of any Caribbean monk seals, the U.S. government announced the species is officially extinct, and the only seal to vanish due to human causes.[2]

A collection of Caribbean monk seal bones can be found at the Tropical Crane Point Hammock Museum in Key Vaca.